Stay on target

December isn’t typically known as a month which sees a whole lot of big releases. This is the case in 2018. While there are numerous titles dropping, massive hits are few and far between. While this doesn’t look good on the surface, remember that most folks are still playing all the bangers released during the past three months. The lull in December will give many the opportunity to either finish up or start playing titles which fell by the wayside. If you somehow have no games to play, there are a couple of releases this month that’ll hold you over until new titles start pouring in at the end of January 2019.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Platform: Nintendo SwitchRelease date: December 7

The biggest game of December is unquestionably Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This enhanced Wii U port features damn near every character that ever appeared in Super Smash Bros. On top of its robust roster, Nintendo’s brawler has a ton of different modes to play. If you’re a fan of the series, this is definitely everything you could have asked for. If you’re unfamiliar, this is probably the best way to check out what all the fuss is about. Expect this title to generate a ton of memes on social media when it launches.

Just Cause 4

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox OneRelease date: December 4

Open world games are all about giving players the freedom to do what they want. No other franchise lives up to the genre’s potential like Just Cause, which is getting a new entry this month. Just Cause 4 is very much in the vein of its predecessors. Players can destroy the environment with a variety of unique weapons and abilities. The biggest addition this time is a massive tornado that sucks up everything in its wake. The fact you can control the tornado’s trajectory will no doubt lead to some truly insane scenarios.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

Platforms: PS4, Xbox OneRelease date: December 4

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is an indie game for people who don’t like indie games. Though made on a modest budget, it very much looks and feels like a AAA title. However, it deals with subjects most big studios would never touch. The game is finally getting a physical release on PS4 and Xbox One. Most indie games do not receive this treatment, so it’s great to see this wonderful title on disk. If you didn’t try out Hellblade when it first released, now is the perfect time to play it for yourself. Just have some handkerchiefs ready. This isn’t for the faint of heart.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

Platform: PS4Release date: December 7

A year after making its debut on Xbox One, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds arrives on PS4. Though Fortnite is now seen as the defacto battle royale game, it was PUBG which really kicked the whole craze into motion. While PUBG is still relatively popular on PC and Xbox One, it’s unclear if it’ll sell as well on PS4. This might be a case of too little too late. But it’s better to release on PS4 late than not at all.

Sega Genesis Classics

Platform: SwitchRelease date: December 7

As someone who lived through the old Sega and Nintendo console wars, it’s still a trip for me to see classic Sega games on a Nintendo system. Twelve-year-old Tony would never have believed it. Despite the weirdness of it all, I appreciate having the ability to play these Sega classics on Switch. Sega has released Genesis collections in the past so it’s likely you already own one iteration. But since Switch gives you the ability to play these games on the go, it’s worth picking up the new collection for that reason alone.

Gwent: The Witcher Card Game

Platforms: PS4, Xbox OneRelease date: December 4

The Witcher 3 is filled with a great deal of side quests and optional content. One of the biggest diversions is a card game called Gwent. The in-game game was so popular that some users said it’s good enough to be its own title. Well, that’s exactly what’s happened with the appropriately titled Gwent: The Witcher Card Game. The only potential downside with this free-to-play title may come from its microtransactions. Hopefully, they will not be too egregious.

Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox OneRelease date: December 4

Interestingly enough, Gwent isn’t the only Witcher 3 card game releasing in December. Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales uses the Gwent system as its base but adds a narrative element on top of it. Like The Witcher 3, the storytelling and voice overs are all of exceptional quality. While the isometric graphics aren’t on the same level of Witcher 3, the cell-shaded art style is easy on the eyes. This, along with Gwent, should hold fans over until the next Witcher game drops.

Borderlands 2 VR

Platform: PlayStation VRRelease date: December 14

Borderlands fans are no doubt eager for a new entry. Despite Randy Pitchford’s cryptic tweet from the other day, Borderlands 3 has not been officially announced by Gearbox. Thankfully, fans of the franchise can find some satisfaction with Borderlands 2 VR. This is mostly the same Borderlands 2 experience from before, but only in virtual reality. I say mostly because there is no online component. That could very well be a dealbreaker for some considering how fun it is to play with friends. However, if you really need a Borderlands fix and own a PSVR, you can’t go wrong with this one.

Earth Defense Force 5

Platform: PS4Release date: December 11

It’s amazing to me that we live in a world with five Earth Defense Force games. Maybe there are more fans of cheesy 1950’s sci-fi movies than I realized? I personally never hear or see much hype for these titles but the games just keep on selling. Maybe it’s one of those “it’s big in Japan” type of deals or something. Anyway, if you liked shooting giant bugs in previous entries then you’re probably going to love what Earth Defense Force 5 has to offer. Perhaps I should play this game myself to see what’s so special about the series.